Budget Amendment Required to Upgrade Rotary Park Playground

Thursday, 7 February 2019 12:45

A view of the Rotary Park Playground (Photo courtesy of City of Whitehorse)

City administration is requesting that council increase funding for the three-year Rotary Park Playground Replacement Project by $180,000.

A budget amendment will be required to replace portions of the Rotary Park Playground in Whitehorse.

City administration requested a increase to the three-year expenditure program from $220,000 to 400,000 in city council Monday night, subject to council budget approval, and the new playground design will help replace and re-modify certain structures to help make the playground accessible for those with disabilities.

Two play structures, excluding the swings, will also be required to fix after issues were found in the structures when equipment inspection was being done by the Canadian Playground Safety Institute.

Acting Manager of Parks and Community Development Landon Coolage says a little more time was taken to ensure the project expenditures accurately reflected the new budget.

"A lot of research went forward to making sure we have an accurate budget. The last thing we wanted to do was bring forward a number during capital before we were ready and I end up right back in this seat asking for the appropriate amount of money".

The newly reflected costs would be funded by gas tax and Coolage says the scope of the project also increased the expenditures significantly.

""The reason that the budget increased so quickly is the original scope of the project was to replace a very small piece (of the playground). We made the decision that the entire playground had to be fixed instead of just an individual piece. So, adding the accessibility, the surfacing,and then again adding the welding c-channel installation in order to battle the moving ground is what made it escalate so quickly."

The decision to re-budget the 2018 Rotary Park Playground Replacement project will be brought forward next week in council.

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